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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stock — goods
  4. squash — the sport
  5. stock — shares
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wound — an injury
  10. season — of the year
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. snap — to click
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. season — in sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bound — certain
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. wound — an injury
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com